High School D Minus D
by Tyrant Yoshitsuna
Summary: At the climax of the Rating game between the Phenex and Gremory, a person's win does not necessarily mean his personal victory.


Just for fun!

* * *

Evil Pieces, created by Ajuka Beelzebub of the Four Great Satan, an ingenious way to repopulate the waning numbers of the Devils in the Netherworld after the war. It was so great that the Devils even created a game based on them, where they could battle and bring fame and glory to themselves. Each Pieces were designed similar to games that humans called "Chess", where each pieces have different patterns of movement, and where the goal was to trap the opponent's King with various skillful maneuvers and schemes.

With the creation of these Evil Pieces, the Devil no longer need to fear extinction because of the old war, and now they would rather live in the peaceful times and let the new Devils live contently. But even in these times, there would still be conflict and disagreement, especially since these were Devils.

Currently, one of these conflict and disagreement was taking place in an artificial world created by the magic of the Devils.

On one of the rooftop of this artificial place was a battle, though it was already coming to a close as one of the combatants was already on one knee and panting heavily. Four other people were present in this battle, with three allied to one side and the other one supporting the opposition.

Various emotions were present of the four as they watched the battle unfold, with the most prominent were Fear, Awe, and Worry.

The three were in slight Awe, yet with a great deal of Worry. The other one was more on Fear and Worry.

Two combatants stood face to face, with one Riser Phenex on one knee, panting heavily from exhaustion. There was tint of fear seen in his eyes as he continued to watch as his opponent stand again on his feet, looking as though they were only doing it with minimal effort.

Normally this kind of act wouldn't bring the same emotions that Riser was feeling this moment, but when the one standing up was nothing more than a charred body that should already be dead after the first ten times that he burned them to a crisp...

Yeah, one should really start getting scared a while ago.

"What are you!" the son of the Phenex demanded. "How can you still be alive after all of this! How could a weak Pawn stand up again and again after having their bodies burned and their flesh turned to ash!"

On the side, the three allies of Riser's foe were also asking the same question. Also, as to why he wasn't teleported out of the Rating Game after the first wave of attack that reduced him into nothing but a burning corpse. On Riser's side, his sister was confused as she watched the corpse turn into something human once again.

This has been happening for the last fifteen minutes of their encounter. Riser would conjure up powerful flames and then throw them to his enemy. His target would just then smile as he takes on the attack, burning his body to a crisp. Then the supposed corpse would stand back up and use some unknown skill that would make the burns vanish as if they had never happened. His clothes would be back in their pristine appearance and then would comment on the Phenex's attack.

Rias Gremory had her heart pumping heavily in her chest as she watched her supposedly weakest Pawn take Riser's attack again and again but get up soon after just to make a comment to his opponent. It was hard to watch one of her beloved peerage's immolation repeatedly for the last couple of minutes.

Asia Argento had fainted after seeing the burnt body of her peer on the first attack but woke up after a while to witness this awful and painful scene. She would have fainted again if she didn't see the burns suddenly vanish after her eyes blinked. There was a wonder within her that asked how such grievous wound suddenly healed itself. Most of the people there thought it was some sort of regeneration, but her peer had said that it was something else.

The last of the three was feeling like a heel at the moment. When they were first introduced to each other he thought that when they said that they were the weakest one among them he was ecstatic. He finally thought that there was finally someone that could understand him, and they had been a pervert as well!

But right now, he watched as Riser burn his peer once again, only to stand back up and use some kind of magic or Sacred Gear to remove the wounds and damages on him, Issei Hyoudou was feeling powerless.

Right now he was the most useless one out there. His Buchou was able to at least damage Riser before they were able to wipe out most of the Phenex's peerage, with only Ravel as the only one left because of her regeneration and immortality. Akeno was able to take out Riser's Queen with a Kamikaze attack, where she held on to her opponent and struck them with her most powerful Lightning. There was Kiba and Koneko, who were able to take out a few before they were ambushed by the Bomb Queen. Then there was his fellow pawn, pinning his opponents with his odd weapons and allowing him, Koneko and Kiba to finish them off.

Asia was also more helpful than he was.

If it wasn't for her, he would still be on the ground and in pain after he took on Riser by himself when he found out that his Buchou took on the Phenex herself. Looking back to the battle, he saw his fellow pawn take out one of those weird weapons of his again. Last time they were melted before they could even touch the Phenex, but right now, it looks like he was planning something. Though he really had to say that the choice of weapon was odd.

Who fights with giant screws?

"You and those tasteless toys again." Riser spat as he saw his opponent take out two giant screws, one on each hand. "Who the hell do you think you are, showing me this kind of disrespect!"

"[Ah, that's right! I haven't properly introduced myself!]"

Rias and her peerage squashed their urge to sigh. Her other pawn was an odd one, which was probably a great understatement. He said that even before he was reincarnated into a Devil, he had always been like that. And was much worse back in middle school.

"[Since you didn't allow me to talk last time we met and just called me trash, I wasn't able to tell you my name.]"

"Like I ever want to know the names of trash." Riser spat.

"[Ah, you called me trash again! But it's alright, I've already been called many things, that's just one of the kinder ones.]" the Pawn nodded to himself as the cheerful smile that he carried ever since the start of the fight was still present before giving Riser a very sinister look. "[I'm already used to it.]"

"Just die already!" with that, Riser swung his arm and sent another wave of fire at his opponent. He thought that it would hit, just like it kept witting for the past few minutes. What he didn't expect though was for his opponent to charge at the fire and slip through the tiny gap between the attack and the rooftop floor. Before he could even react, he found two giant screws stabbing through his legs and bringing him to his knees.

"[I wasn't even able to say my name yet. Can't you be a little more patient?]" he asked the kneeling opponent. "[It's Misogi Kumagawa. Though you didn't really need to bother, since I know that you're just gonna forget it soon.]"

"You-!" With another swing of his arm, Riser sent Kumagawa jumping back to evade the stream of fire that just appeared. The Phenex then pulled the screws out of his legs and allowed his regeneration heal them fully. "You're really trying my patience, you worm!"

Another attack, another jump, Kumagawa took out two more screws before pointing them at the enraged Devil. "[That regeneration really is a convenient ability, it makes me with that I had it as well.]"

"But that's what you've been doing all this time!" Ravel shouted off to the side who, because she shares the same regeneration as her brother, had her clothes literally screwed to the ground, courtesy of Kumagwa himself. Though hers, for some odd reason, weren't melting like the ones that happens when her brother uses his fire. "Why don't these melt like the others!"

"[Ah, that's because those are different.]"

"Then this must be all you had if you aren't even using any more!" Ravel retorted in her prone position.

"[Actually, I still have a lot of them. I just haven't used them on your brother yet because I like to see his angry face.]" Kumagawa relied, smiling happily at the girl and ignoring the vein that was throbbing on Riser's temple.

"Are you insulting me!" The male Phenex roared as he sent another wave of fire that was dodged again.

"[No, I just wanted to screw with you. Ha ha ha ha.]"

"WHAT!"

Off to the side, Rias and the others were also thinking the same thing.

"[There's a reason for that actually. It all involves about a tale of an innocent and pure boy who has never won anything, at all, but experienced his first ever win seventeen years later.]" Kumagawa nodded to himself. "[Back then he always used to say {I couldn't win again} whenever he lost. But after his win, he couldn't really use that gag very much anymore. So, in an attempt to replace that catchphrase, he tried screwing with people.]"

"You're not even hiding that the loser was you!" Ravel shouted.

Kumagawa blinked before realizing his slip. "[Huh, it looks like I failed in hiding my identity inside that touching tale.]"

"Which part was it touching?!"

"[That I never won?]"

"That just means that you're a loser!"

Kumagawa stilled for a moment as he looked at Ravel, unnerving the girl with his penetrating stare, before suddenly bursting into tears. "[So cruel! How could you even say such a thing after hearing my tragic tale.]" Kumagawa had an arm over his eyes as torrents of tears kept on flowing even through the cloth.

Off to the side Rias, Asia and Issei were in tears as well. "Oh my poor Kuma, I didn't know that you had such a sad life." Rias said as she wiped away her tears.

"Such a poor soul." Asia cried with her hands clasped together.

"I know exactly how you feel, sempai!" Issei sniffled.

Before anymore drama was said, a torrent of flames suddenly swallowed Kumagawa.

"KUMAGAWA!"

"Enough of this!" Riser roared, as he caught his breath from that little rest. He then turned to the Gremory with his hand held out. "Come to me Rias, as soon as you give up, your Pawn's torment will cease. Do you like to watch as I keep burning him again and again? Even if he keeps heeling himself he will eventually succumb to the injuries."

Rias hesitated at that. It was true that Kumagawa was able to heal himself every time, but how long will it last? There were different ways to defeat opponents who were immortal or had powerful regeneration, one of them was inflicting grievous wounds again and again until their mind could no longer hold out. She was afraid of that to happen, especially to one of her own peerage.

But before she could even say a word, a giant screw pierced through the Phenex's wrist and severed his hand. It didn't take a moment when the hand regenerated.

"[It's not nice attacking someone before ignoring them, Riser-san.]" Kumagawa still had his arm extended from the throw, his cheerful smile now morphing into a sinister one. "[But that's okay,] his face suddenly looked sinister [I'm used to it.]"

"You-"

"[Though you're right.]" Kumagawa interrupted Riser, cheerfulness back in place, as he was about to send another attack. "[I've seen all that I wanted, learned what I needed, and played with you long enough.]"

Once again Kumagawa took out another screw earning a scoff from the Phenex. "Don't you already know that those things won't work on me?"

On Kumagawa's face, a sinister smile of seemed to stretch his face and dark rings started to look prominent just below his eyes. "[True, my {Usual} screws won't work on you because you would just melt them away. But-]" before their eyes, the screw seemed to stretch and lengthen. What was once the size of a stake now looked like it could be used as a sword as well. "[How about this? My trump card {Book Maker}]"

In response Riser simply scoffed again, "As if making it longer would make any difference."

Once again Kumagawa's smile stretched. "[Oh? Would you like to test it?]" he asked before looking at Ravel who shivered at the attention. "[How about this, Riser-san. If you can take this one attack from me, I will withdraw from the Rating Game.]"

_That_ caught Riser's attention.

"[As we've already established, I can't kill you because of your immortality and regeneration.]" because of their particular trait, the Phenex were notoriously difficult to beat. "[At the same time, you can't beat me because of a closely similar reason.]"

"Closely similar?" the word caught Riser's curiosity. "You mean to tell me that it's not the same as my regeneration?"

"[Who knows.]" Kumagawa hummed. "[If you survive my attack, I'll tell you.]" he the pointed the elongated screw at the Phenex. "[Would you like to try it?]"

It wasn't a bad deal. Riser knew that any attacks from the weapon in Kumagawa's hand wouldn't beat him. If he was stabbed anywhere it would just heal. Even if he were decapitated, he would live. There was no trace of holy power in the weapon, so he's safe from that. And besides, he was getting tired of killing this annoying Pawn. Even if he doesn't keep his promise, he'll just keep burning him until Rias finally has enough and submits.

With an arrogant smirk, Riser spread his arms and laughed. "Hahaha! Come on, then! I'll give you this one free shot! Let me show you that it's futile!"

"[Are you sure?]" Kumagawa asked, waving the long screw at Riser like a stick. "[You could say 'No' and make this match longer.]"

"Just get on with it!" Riser spat. "No matter what you do, what attack you use, I WILL survive it! Let me show you that even with your so called 'trump card' my victory is inevitable!"

Kumagawa's smile never left his face as got ready to charge at the Phenex. For a moment, his eyes found Ravel's as she locked with his. For a moment the younger sister of the arrogant Phenex felt a shiver run through her spine as she met those coal colored orbs. There was something wrong with that screw, something different from the other ones that he's used until now. Before her mind could even process that feeling, her mouth was already moving on its own.

"Nii-sama, no!"

But it was too late. In a blink of an eye Kumagawa had the head of the screw in his hand, the point in and through the elder Phenex. There was a moment of silence before Riser suddenly burst out laughing, howling at the artificial sky like a madman.

"HAAHAHAHA! Was that it? Just impaling me?" Riser continued to laugh as Kumagawa stepped further back, hands up in the air in surrender. "USELESS! Absolutely useless! Now Rias! Watch as how I break your Pawn for your defiance!"

Riser continued to laugh as he grabbed the exposed length of the screw on his chest before he pulled.

...and pulled.

...and pulled again.

"WHAT!"

Throughout Riser's hysterical laughter he never noticed that Kumagawa's smile never left his lips. The other spectators on the other hand did, that's why after Ravel's outburst they never said a thing.

"What is this! I can't get it off!" Riser continued to struggle with the screw and kept on tugging on it. If he wasn't panicking at the moment he would have noticed that there was no pain from the attack. "You! What did you do-!" his head snapped to the smiling Kumagawa to demand answers, but before he could finish, his body suddenly felt as if heavy burden had been placed over his entire being. "Wha-!"

"[Book Maker]" Kumagawa started, earning the attention of all those watching from within the face world and the spectators of this Rating Game. "[My original Minus, the weapon that brings down anything to my level.]"

"Minus?" Riser rasped, his body felt so heavy, like it's been drained of all of it's power. Even his hair, which was once of bright and lively blond was now dead and bleached white. "Is this a holy weapon?"

"[Holy Weapon?]" the odd Pawn tilted his head, his usual cheerful smile back for all to see again. "[That's quite a flattery, but no, it's not. There's nothing Holy about it, nor is there anything Demonic.]"

With another dash, Kumagawa charged at the defenseless Riser. With a blink of an eye the Phenex was suddenly face down on the ground, pinned by multiple screws all over his limbs.

"GUUAAAHHH!"

"[As promised, I'll tell you about why you can't beat me.]"

BAM

A screw suddenly landed in front of Riser's face, drilling a hole into the roof. "[My ability that's similar to your Immortality is called {All Fiction}, the ability to turn anything back into nothing.]"

"That's... impossible." Ever since the stupid screw got into his system he felt weak. So weak that he felt the need to give up, like there was no way of winning anymore. His earlier boast felt like it was impossible now. Every thought that passed his mind, only one thing was always the outcome.

_I Will Lose_

"[There's nothing impossible about it, Riser-san. All the {Damage} I took earlier, I just turned the into {Nothing}.]" taking out another screw, he took it to his temple and drove it through his head. Rias and the others of her peerage cried out in alarm at the display. "[See, right now this act should have put me to {Death}, but with {All Fiction} I made my {Death} into {Nothing}. With no {Death} there is {Life}, that's why even now I'm {Living}.]"

Riser wanted to deny that something like that was impossible, that you had to have the powers of a god to actually deny something like [Death]. But even as he tried to convince himself of that, the screw nailed through his chest made it so that all of his hopes for victory, contradiction of the power, all of that would always lead to him thinking that he couldn't win.

"[Give up, Riser-san, you can't win anymore. The moment you took my {Book Maker} it was already over.]"

Riser shook his head, again, trying to say something like "Like I would lose to a trash like you." or something like "You think this is enough to stop me?", but he couldn't muster the strength to say it out loud.

"[My {Book Maker} brings down anyone that's hit by it down to my level: Body, Technique, Spirit, Intellect and Talent. That means all of your special ability, special quality, talents, power, even your strong will has been brought down to equal mine, the weakest being in the world, the lowest thing in the food chain, the loser that lost for seventeen years and has only tasted victory once!]"

Spreading his arms wide and looking down on Riser Phenex with the most sinister look he has ever seen, he delivered it all with a big smile on his face.

"RISER PHENEX, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE AT THE LEVEL OF A TRASH!"

For a moment, Misogi Kumagawa felt like that time when he fought that certain girl for the position of Student Council President on that roof, where he gave up {All Fiction} just to get {Book Maker} back and make that girl see the world as he sees it. It was like he relapsed back into his Middle School days, back when he hadn't been reformed, back when he was a true {Minus}, a {Minus} amongst {Minus}.

Then it stopped.

That was a long time ago, now he was reformed. Now there was actually a chance for him to win again. Even with one win, he'll still continue on as he is, the Misogi Kumagawa who went through chaos and mayhem for a whole year, who met people he could call his friends, and found the girl to convince him to graduate from the past.

That's the Misogi Kumagawa he is now, and will be in the future.

Looking down, the old Kumagawa would finished off his opponent without a care, or he would give them a false hope, only to stab them from behind. But the reformed Kumagawa would do something that his old self would have lied about.

"[Would you like to give up, Riser-san?]"

It was only proper to give an opponent a chance to surrender. That's what _she_ would have done, at least.

With his face down and expression gloomy, Riser Phenex nodded from his prone position. "It's my loss, forgive me."

**Riser Phenex retires, Victory goes to Rias Gremory**

Grayfia Lucifuge announced the end of the Rating Game, with the Gremory house taking the victory and the Phenex accepting defeat.

Off the side Rias, Asia and Issei were celebrating already, tears running down their faces with the Gremory heiress burying Issei's head in her bountiful bosom and Asia looking miffed at the scene but happy at the same time. Slowly the artificial battleground started to collapse, starting from the sky and moving its way downward. At the same time Kumagawa's screws slowly started to dissipate as well.

"[Riser-san.]" hearing the man who defeated him call his name, Riser Phenex looked at Gremory's Pawn. "[It's because you kept insisting on marrying Rias-chan that we had to fight in this Rating Game, so that's why your lose wasn't my fault.]"

Yeah. What a way to kick your enemy while they're down.

The screws that nailed Ravel to the ground had already dissipated and was already helping her brother to his feet. Even though the screw was already gone, the effect of {Book Maker} was still there, though it would probably disappear after a while.

"[And Riser-san, I want to make something clear.]"

Riser and Ravel stilled, waiting for something like a threat to come from the Pawn. But instead, he said something else.

"[Your lose today wasn't my victory. It was hers.]" He pointed over to Rias, who now had an arm wrapped around Issei's while Asia had the other. "[Because you lost, she's now free from the engagement. And now, she can live happy because of it.]"

The surrounding was already half gone, and the ones in charge finally thought of getting them out if there. But before the Phenex siblings disappeared, they thought they heard the Pawn say something.

"[As always, I couldn't win.]"

With that, the Rating Game was concluded.


End file.
